Methodologies / approaches

Continued timely adjustments in tariffs could make projects financially viable. The project financial reevaluation at completion concluded that the project was financially viable subject to continued timely adjustments in tariff. This has legal basis as Decree 124/2011/ND-CP allows WSCs to propose water tariffs in a tariff roadmap, which provincial governments approve. The tariff roadmaps of the participating WSCs included adjustments every two years. However, only one adjustment was made in 2019–2022 due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Additional emphasis on climate mitigation and adaptation and stronger gender elements will strengthen the holistic approach to transport sector development, including road operations and maintenanc and road safety.

Establishing robust partnerships with country teams in resident missions is essential for designing capacity-building initiatives with DMCs and for generating buy-in to new approaches to engage with DMCs. ADB can use future thinking and foresight to engage with DMC agencies to develop interdisciplinary scenarios relevant to futures planning. The futures scenarios enable conversations beyond the most preferred futures which are normally described in national development plans.

Leveraging regional platforms is essential in ensuring that the knowledge generated from a TA is widely disseminated to the intended users, as it fosters collaboration among various stakeholders and promotes continuous learning across DMCs. Noting the urgency and importance of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC)) report and its implications, it was appropriate to organize dissemination workshops for ADB Staff (including ADB Board members), and for DMC government officials and civil society organizations, so that mutual understanding could lead to integrated activities.

Hands-on involvement of ADB Staff in the conduct of capacity building workshops and documentation allows for rapid learning and upscaling of new technologies being introduced and further developed. The future thinking and foresight activities were implemented by ADB Staff and individual consultants. ADB Staff were ands-on in the conduct of the workshop and the documentation. This facilitated rapid learning and scaling up of future thinking and foresight approaches under other TA projects.

Regular involvement of country teams from resident missions and with external partner experts in the field are crucial in ensuring the continued relevance and significance of TA support. For this TA, the design and planning were also informed by discussion with relevant department leading country programming work.

English and Russian language TA publications increased the visibility of project activities and this may be replicated in future similar projects. Video tutorials on a CAREC Disaster Risk Modelling Interface (DRMI), an interactive online platform, was particularly helpful in allowing country stakeholders to visualize their risk profiles, perform high-level cost-benefit analyses of implementing disaster risk reduction measures, and quantify risk transfer costs for earthquake and flood parametric insurance structures.

Greater invovement from resident missions (RMs), e.g., by designating RM staff to regional TA teams, is important to ensure that potential solutions identified through analytical work are translated into tangible projects. Conversely, team members of regional TAs may also be involved in country programming.

Virtual workshops are not as effective, particularly where new and complex concepts have to be discussed. This was demonstrated by the TA experience under COVID-19 that restricted in-person meetings and workshops for over 2 years.

In turbulent times, projects must formulate comprehensive contingency plans for major emergencies such as (i) strengthening risk management with flexible plans to address unpredictability, (ii) developing adaptable resource plans, (iii) enhancing supply chain transparency to mitigate delays, (iv) improving remote team collaboration, and (v) leveraging digital technology to monitor projects during emergencies. This project was affected by the pandemic and required a loan extension until 30 June 2022, necessitating a corresponding extension of the implementation period.